CB Rod
Wars Part 18: G.Loomis goes with graphite for more sensitivity while cranking (continued)

Real
World Tests: To
test both these rods we fished crankbaits up to 1oz. in weight on a variety of
Northern California lakes as well as the California Delta. We paired the rods
with a number of different reels including the Shimano Curado E and Chronarch as
well as the Daiwa Zillion Crazy Cranker.

The G.Loomis 845C is great for one
handed casts with medium sized lures...

Casting: A seven foot rod is a great length for a cranking stick as it gives
anglers plenty of casting distance and is able to address a wide range of baits,
not to mention they will still fit in most rod lockers. Our casting tests
started out with 3/8oz. Bomber Fat Free Shads and moved up all the way to 1oz.
Spro Little John DD cranks.

...but the 8" handle was somewhat
short for two handed casts

As we
measured casting distances for both these rods I remarked how good the 855C GLX
felt not on casting but on retrieve. GLX fiber tends to be stiffer and this rod
definitely felt crisper than just about every other rod we tested all year long.
As we moved up the spectrum of lure weights and got cranking deeper and deeper
it was easy to discern the type of structure I was coming into contact with. As
I switched back and forth between this rod and the 845C I found that I had more
confidence throwing larger baits with the non GLX rod as it exhibits a more
parabolic action, but when it came to feel once the bait was in the water it was
night and day, this is where GLX reigns supreme.

Though made out of graphite the
rod exhibits a nice parabolic action

Both
rods are designed to handle up to 1oz. crankbaits and as we got to the oz. mark
I could definitely feel the rods start to strain when launching lures during
overhand casts. Both rods felt better when lobbing the lures or casting them
sidearm. During overhead casts I could really feel the rods load up at the
moment right before accelerating to cast. It was during these maximum weight
casting tests that the CBR855CGLX suddenly snapped right in the middle. There
wasn’t a violent snap or the 1oz. Little John DD lure getting caught on a guide,
there was just a slight pop as half the rod went sailing forward in chase of the
lure.

The G.Loomis CBR855C GLX was one
of the casualties in our crankbait rod war

The
rod seemed to break right during loading of an overhand cast, whether or not
there was a flaw in this particular rod is hard to tell, the graphite where the
breakage occurred did splinter like a stress fracture but it very well could
have been nicked during transport. The good thing with G.Loomis is that the
company stands behind their rods with a strong warranty but without time to go
back and rerun all the tests with the replacement rod this concluded the tests
for the GLX cranking rod and the remainder of our field tests centered around
the more affordable CBR845C.

A look at the break in the rod, we
don't know if the rod was damaged, nicked or had an imperfection but this was
the end of the GLX cranking rod for our tests

Both
rods were rated up to 1oz lure weights but I felt that lures above 3/4oz. really
started to max out what I felt was comfortable for both these rods. While you
can fish lures at these weights I would recommend being careful not to whip the
lures too aggressively to prevent stressing the very tip of the rods.